Vacqueyras, Rhône Valley
Left Bank of the Rhône Valley, sited at the foot of Dentelles de Montmirail mountain, La Monardière was born out of the gathering of Martine and Christian Vache family vines in 1987.
The passion of being winegrower and winemaker has been transmitted in 2007 to their son Damien. Leading 22 hectares of vines certified in organic farming, he markets all of its production.
Soil type - Safres and Sandy clay
Main grape variety - Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Roussane, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne
Yield - from 18 to 30hl/ha for the AOC Vacqueyras; 40 hl/ha for the IGP Vaucluse
Label - Organic Agriculture certified in 2007
Viticulture & vinification: A biodiversity-oriented philosophy
"Guiding rather than forcing. In order to maintain and enrich our heritage, we alternate between tillage and grass covering, we care about plot surrounding banks and treesplantation.
Not a single chemical herbicide is used and naturally occuring product (sulphur & copper) help us preventing fungal diseases. Thanks to ‘Mistral’, a dry wind protecting our vines from diseases and damage caused by pests, treatments are reasoned and rarely necessary. 100% of the vineyard is manually harvested and we start early in the morning. Grapes transport is made in crates, fermentation process happens naturally due to indigenous yeasts. The vinifaction process is low intervention, gentle extractions are carried out and limited use of sulphur favoured.
The wine is matured in used oak barrels or concrete tanks, allowing the terroir to express its full potential and authenticity. We bottle the wine ourselves at the estate, concluding a whole process which does not involve anyone else but us."